Manali

Manali, at the northern end of the Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh, is a hill station situated at a height of 2050m (6398 ft) in the Himalayas. Situated on the Beas river (Vyaas in Hindi) and near its source, it is a popular tourist spot for Indians in summer and a magical, snow-covered place in winter. A staging point for a number of treks (Beas Kund, Chandrakhani Pass) and sports such as white-water rafting, Manali is also on the road to Ladakh via the valley of Lahaul and Spiti and rohtang pass which is main attraction near Manali.
Places of Interest

Rohtang Pass, at an altitude of 3979m (13,050 ft) above sea level, is another adventure tourist site where it can be cold even on a summer day. It is the highest point on the Manali-Keylong road and provides a wide panoramic view of mountains rising far above clouds, which is truly breath taking. Close by is a small lake called Dassaur Lake. Beas Kund, the source of river Beas, is also nearby. In winter, the road of Rothang Pass is closed.

Important to note that the road to Rohtang Pass is closed off at Manali bridge, on all Tuesdays 09:00-18:00 for carrying out road widening work and repairs. If you are able to leave early, before 09:00, you can avoid the traffic rush (found on all other days) and have Rohtang Pass to your self (well almost!!). Flip side is to be prepared for stoppages (extending up to a few hours) on the return trip as the road is blocked off where repair works are progressed.

If you are driving up, be prepared for the rough broken roads at many places, sheer blind turns and tight hairpin bends, which can be exhilarating depending on the state of your nerves. If you are hiring a vehicle then better rent a four wheel drive vehicle from Manali. Some times the local people along with police does not allow the non-four wheel drive vehicles from going beyond Snow-Point(a place 16km before Rohtang Pass)and force to hire their own 4x4 vehicle at exorbitant prices which can be up to ₹1,500-2,000 per person. This happens in the winter times when there is heavy snow fall. The tours organized by HPTDC does not go up to Rohtang pass and terminate at Snow-Point. Shared taxis are also available.

Rohtang Pass can also be accessed on foot, if there are stoppages beyond Snow-Point. However, it is a strenuous climb and also needs a good guide to show the short cut routes to the Pass.

Beas Kund, an igloo shaped temple, on top has a spring which is the origin of River Beas.

Kalath Hot Water Springs

Around 6.5 Km downstream from Manali,natural sulfurous water flows from the bowels of earth.public bath areas and private bath areas are available."Asia Sulphur hot water spring" is a small hotel where private bathroom can be hired on per-person basis(appx. Rs. 100/person).these are simple bathrooms but give all the privacy needed by a couple or family.It can be easily spotted on your way to Manali just before the "Green Tax barrier".

Vashist Hot Water Springs

Around 3 km from Manali, across the Beas river is Vashist, a small village with natural sulphur springs. Modern bathhouses, with Turkish-style showers, have the hot water piped into them for the convenience of the visitors who come here to benefit from the medicinal properties. Vaishisht, also boasts a pair of old stone temples, opposite each other above the main square. Dedicated to the local patron saint Vashista, the smaller of the two opens on to a partially covered courtyard, and is adorned with elaborate woodcarvings. Those lining the interior of the shrine, blackened by years of oil-lamp and incense smoke, are particularly fine. The temple tanks are underground hot-water/sulfur springs. Be wary of hanging up your trousers or bags on the hooks provided, pickpocketing is a daily occurrence. Hand over your wallet to a trusted person for safekeeping before you enter the springs for a bath. Separate tanks for men and women are provided in the temple.keep in mind these are open baths and little or no privacy is available for women except separated areas for bathing.

Jogini Falls

About 2 km Trek from Vashisth Temple. Going to the top of the falls would need a guide and quite a bit of trekking, but if you wish you could just keep asking for directions from Vashishth temple and reach the first level of the falls.

Solang Valley

popularly known as Snow Point, is 13 km northwest of Manali and famous for its 300-meter ski lift. The Ski Lift ticket is Rs. 500 per head for a trip both ways. It is a picturesque spot and offers splendid views of glaciers and the snow-capped mountains. Solang valley also offers attractions like paragliding, snorkeling etc. Jagatsukh, the former capital of Manali, is also an important spot.

Jagatsukh

Jagatsukh, the former capital of Manali, has a few nice temples done in Shikhara style. You can visit them while travelling to Naggar.

Rahala waterfalls

About 16 km from Manali at the start of the climb to the Rohtang Pass, are the beautiful Rahalla Falls at an altitude of 2,501 m.

Rozy Falls

On the way to Rohtang amazing water fall worth seeing. this water fall looks amazing between the high hills.

Monasteries

Manali is known for its shiny gompas or Buddhist monasteries. It is maintained by donations from the local community and by sale of hand-woven carpets in the temple workshop.

Old Manali: At a distance of 3 km northwest of Manali is Old Manali, famous for its orchards and old guesthouses. Calm and serene surroundings coupled with the sound of Beas river is a very peaceful experience. There is ruined fort here by the name of Manaligarh. There is also the Manu Maharishi Temple, dedicated to sage Manu.

There are some interesting temples of Tibetan Buddhist lineages located between old and new Manali.

Naggar

The Castle, Roerich House and Art gallery are places to see. Moonlight dinner on the balcony of Hotel Castle restaurant is worth experiencing, with the lovely sight of twinkling lights below in the Beas valley. Bijli Mahadev temple, about 20 kms from Naggar, is also worth visiting.

Zana Falls

15 Kms from Naggar and 35 Kms from Manali, at Zana Village, beautiful Water Fall is worth visiting. The valley provides amazing views. There is one water fall on the road side and two other water falls which are not much explored by tourists and are amazing. Moreover Traditional Himachali food is available here at small hut like shops. Beautiful Log Hut Area and Club house. In fact both these places especially log hut area have some good hotels to stay.

Manali Gompa

Manali Gompa was built in 1960. It is one of the most important places for Buddhists. Buddhists come to this place from Ladakh, Tibet, Spiti, Lahul and Kinnaur. Manali Gompa is world famous for a large statue of Buddha and for its wall paintings.

Kothi

Kothi is located at the bottom of Rohatang Pass. It is a beautiful and photographic village where tourists can capture different thrilling views of the deep gorge through which the Beas swiftly runs. This is an amazing place to experience the natural beauty of high altitude mountain.

Nehru Kund

Nehru Kund is located at the distance of around 6 km from Manali. It is one of the natural springs of natural water in India. Nehru Kund is named after the late Prime Minister Jawar Lal Nehru. Nehru used to drink water from this Kund, while his journey to Manali. Nehru Kund is on the Manali-Keylong road, about 6 kms from Manali. It is understood that a landslide has wiped out this spring.

Getting There

Access: The airport at Bhunter is 50 km from Manali where taxis and buses are available. The closest narrow gauge railhead is at Joginder Nagar, 165 km away. The closest broad gauge rail heads are Chandigarh (310 km) and Ambala (355 km). By road the distance from Delhi is 570 km and from Shimla the distance is 280 km. From Delhi, there is a regular HPTDC Luxury and Volvo Coach to Manali. HPTDC runs Luxury coach from Shimla to Manali in tourist season.

City Name	Railway Station	Distance
Kalka	Kalka (KLK)	279 km
Chandigarh	Chandigarh (CDG)	305 km
Pathankot	Pathankot (PTK)	310 km
Ambala Cant Jn	Ambala Cant Jn (UMB)	344 km
Delhi	New Delhi (NDLS)	541 km

Best time to visit Manali

The climate of Manali remains pleasant mostly through the year but the month from September to June is the best time to visit Manali.

Summer

Manali remains fairly hot and humid with the average high temperature of 25°C during the summer months, from late March till June. The last month of the season, that is June, is considered as the hottest month of the year when Manali gets around 30°C. Rainfall is common throughout the year in Manali. Summer gets more than 250mm of precipitation.

Rainy season

During July till October Manali gets abundant of rainfall. August with more than 220 of rainfall is considered as the wettest month of the year. The average high temperature of the season stays around 20°C while the low fluctuates between 8°C and 13°C.

Winter

Manali remains extremely cold in the winter months. Temperature often drops to -2°C during the season, from November till March. Besides, a moderate level of rainfall may force you to change your plans to visit outdoors. However, the average high increases as the season progresses, as February, the last month of the season, gets more than 12°C of average high temperature.